


jasmine, please

by kodasvevo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, vague talk of past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24818836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kodasvevo/pseuds/kodasvevo
Summary: Zuko hasn't always had an affinity for tea, but destiny has a funny way of making people adjust.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 240





	jasmine, please

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! with avatar being put on netflix (thank god i don't have to use shady sites to watch it anymore) and reading so many zukka fics, i've finally produced my own! i hope everyone is healthy and safe during this trying time. i hope you all enjoy !!

Zuko hasn’t always had an affinity for tea. 

When he was younger, he’d watch his uncle drink tea in bliss, but his father would drink coffee. Uncle was always somewhat of a wisdom monkey, his father would say. His sister too. But Zuko looked up to him, so despite tea tasting gross to him, he continued to drink it in hopes of being like his uncle. 

When Zuko turns fourteen, his uncle opens up a tea shop. It’s a quaint shop, only a few different flavors, but something that reminds him of warmth and serenity. He names it The Jasmine Dragon, and Zuko thinks it fits his uncle’s personality very well.

“And you know,” his uncle says to him, “I’ll need staff. How would you feel being my very first employee?”

Zuko smiles, “Would I get paid?”

Iroh laughs heartily, “but of course, my nephew! Is that a yes I hear?”

It is.

Zuko’s eighteen when he assumes a full time position and is promoted as a shift lead. He could’ve done it years ago, but his uncle insisted that he wait until he was old enough to boss around the older staff without seeming smug. Zuko knows he’s being fair, 

Unfortunately now, he’s the only one clocked in when the morning rush. The only one taking orders, the only one making the drinks and warming the pastries, and all his other coworkers weren’t supposed to come in until ten.

He’s nearly knee deep in jasmine black teas when a  _ very _ handsome youngman walks in with three other people around his age. The boy has beautiful brown skin and blue eyes, his hair pulled up into a ponytail at the crown of his head. 

Zuko has to forcefully stop himself from staring. “What can I get for you?”

The very handsome boy looks him up and down and says, “Your number would be an amazing start.” Zuko flushes, and the boy’s friends groan. The bald one says, “Really? You have to flirt now?” The girl with the long bangs says, “What do you expect?”

“I-- um. I’m not allowed to give that out while working.” Zuko says. 

The boy hums and looks to Zuko’s name tag, “Well, Zuko,” He says, nice and slow, “the big bad shift lead can’t break a rule?” 

Zuko blushes brighter and clears his throat, “I-I might think it over while making the drinks. What can I get you?” The mystery boy laughs and smiles at him with charm, “two large jasmine teas and two medium herbal green.” Zuko puts the order into the computer and says, “that’ll be $12.50. Receipt?” he says. The boy shakes his head while handing over his debit card. Zuko hands it back and says, “It’ll be out soon.”

Zuko gets to work on the drinks, making them quickly to not agitate the long line forming. Once he’s finished, he calls out the order and when the boy comes to grab the drink carrier, “Which one is yours?” Zuko asks. 

The boy gives him a sly look, “one of the large jasmine.” Zuko nods and picks up one of the cups and writes his number on it before putting it back in the carrier. “All done.”

“I’ll call you.” Zuko nods. “I’ll be hurt if you don’t.” He teases. 

  
  


It’s after Zuko locks the doors to the shop that he realizes that he never got the cute boy’s name. He sighs,  _ of course he didn’t get it!  _ He was so caught up in looking at those mesmerizing blue eyes. He arrives at his apartment  _ (one he shares with his uncle) _ and finds his uncle at the table in the kitchen. 

“How was your day, nephew?” He asks, turning his attention to him. Zuko shrugs, “It was okay. I had to do the morning rush by myself but the others came in around ten, so the lunch rush was easier to handle. I served dinner too.”

“Overworking yourself will only cause you burnout, dear nephew.” Uncle says, tsking. Zuko sighs, “I know but I don’t trust the others to close the shop and I didn’t have anything else to do anyway.” He grumbles to his uncle, making himself a bowl of soup since he wasn’t that hungry. Uncle smiles at him knowingly, “One day you will have to trust your colleagues.”

“Sure, uncle.”

While Zuko was eating his soup, his phone rings, startling him. It was an unknown number. Usually he declines those but his mind flashed back to the handsome boy that came in this morning. He answers the phone with a meek, “Hello?”

_“Hey! It’s Sokka, from this morning. You never got my name, I don’t think.”_ _Sokka_ says. Zuko’s cheeks pinken as he gets up from the table and flees to his room. “I never did,” Zuko replies quietly. “So how is this supposed to go?” He plops onto his bed, pulling his softest blanket into his lap, 

_ “Well,”  _ Sokka chuckles,  _ “I’m supposed to drop a few lines on you, ask you to dinner, and tell you I think you’re beautiful.” _ Zuko bites his lip as he toys with the fabric of the blanket laying on his bed. After a few moments, Zuko smiles, “Well go on with it, then.”

Sokka laughs,  _ “Okay then, pretty boy. What do you like, hm?” _

“What do you mean?” Zuko asks.  _ “Before we get into the cheesy stuff, I want to know what you like. In life, in men, in anything. I’m sappy like that. Just tell me about you, Zuko.”  _ Sokka says, voice soft and dreamy like. Zuko’s heart warms. 

“I like starry nights,” Zuko says quietly, “I like warm tea. Soft music. Kissing in the rain, but I do have an affinity for fire. Candles everywhere. Flowers-- I really like flowers. And… as for how I like my men, well. I think you fit quite perfectly.”

Sokka’s quiet for a few moments before speaking up,  _ “It seems like you’re the one charming me now, pretty boy.” _ Zuko chuckles, “Now tell me about you.”

And Sokka does. 

Zuko tends to fall fast and hard for those he develops feelings for. He’s pretty sure he fell for Jet over the span of a week before he found out what kind of person he really was. He tells himself to  _ calm down _ over Sokka because he’s only known him for a few days and they haven’t even gone out yet. 

But what he does know about the boy makes me smile. 

Sokka is a goofball, always cracking a joke. He’s a computer science major at the local university and he’s got a younger sister. He comes from a small town so he’s used to taking care of people, and he’s come to enjoy making people feel safe around him. He likes coding a lot and he’s a huge gamer, God knows why.

When Zuko thinks of Sokka, he knows Sokka can do so much better than him. He knows Sokka doesn’t deserve someone who got trauma for miles and no destination in life. 

And he’s ready to tell Sokka to leave him alone and save his time to find someone better. It doesn’t matter if Zuko would love to see where this goes with him, to meet his family and learn his traditions, it doesn’t matter. He won’t waste Sokka’s time. 

_ “What do you mean?” _ Sokka says over the phone. 

“I was thinking about it. I just don’t want to waste your time, Sokka. You could do so much better than me.” Zuko says, sighing.  _ “What makes you say that?”  _ Sokka asks,  _ “What makes you less deserving of happiness?” _

“You don’t even know me, Sokka. You don’t know my past and the things I’ve done. You don’t understand. And I don’t want to expose it to you. I don’t want you to like me and then realize who I am and then leave. It’s the best way we save time.”

_ “Zuko, you aren’t making any sense. Who cares what you’ve done? Who cares what you’ve come from? It matters who you are now. And I refuse to have you break whatever we have off over the phone. We’re meeting somewhere tonight and we’re going to sort this out, okay? I won’t let you take your own happiness away.”  _ and then Sokka hangs up. 

Zuko’s never felt so nervous in his life.  _ Well _ , he thinks, he  _ has _ felt this nervous but it was over a more pressing matter. He’s waiting by the huge tree in the center of the park and he feels like an idiot. 

He hasn’t seen Sokka since they met in the tea shop because their schedules never lined up.  _ This _ wasn’t how he wanted to see him again. But it’s quite on brand, Zuko thinks, that his life keeps turning out this way. One unfortunate event after another. 

"Zuko!” He whips his head around, locking eyes with Sokka.  _ Fuck _ , he thinks,  _ he’s already won _ . “Zuko,” Sokka says softly, slightly out of breath. Zuko smiles only a little awkwardly and lets Sokka take his hand. “No,” Sokka starts, startling Zuko, “I won’t let you take yourself away from me.”

Zuko can’t do anything but stare at the clasped hands, his heart pounding in his chest. “It’s not that I want to,” Zuko murmurs, not meeting Sokka’s eyes. “I want you. You’ll just figure out that you don’t want me. I’m damaged goods, Sokka.” He says, sadly.

Sokka frowns, “No, you aren’t. Just because someone might have hurt you in the past doesn’t make you  _ damaged goods, _ it makes you stronger. Please let me love you, Zuko. I’d give anything for the chance.” Sokka begs. Zuko’s brain freezes and his eyes widen. 

“ _ Why?! _ ” Zuko asks incredulously, “What makes me so special for you to beg? For you to want me so much? No one has ever wanted me like this, so why do you?”

Sokka smiles sadly, “Will you let me be the first then? To love you the way you deserve? To cherish you at every moment?” 

“I’ll only be wasting your time. This all will be short-lived. You’ll peel back a layer of my life and realize I’m actually too fucked up to love and you’ll leave and I just… I’m tired of that happening, Sokka.” Zuko says, suddenly feeling very exhausted. Sokka nods in understanding, “I don’t I can convince you that I won’t leave you for your past, Zuko. I can only show you. Words mean nothing if you don’t believe what I say.” Sokka says, he squeezes his hand. “Just give me a chance.”

Zuko sighs, looking away. He wants to,  _ god  _ he wants to. He wants to let Sokka have him and be happy, but how long will it last? A week? A month? He’s gotten his heart broken with Mai, with Jet, will Sokka be next? 

“I’m scared of you becoming another name on my heartbreak list, Sokka.”

“I won’t. Let me prove it,” Sokka pleads, “I’ve never wanted someone this much, Zuko. I want you. I choose you.” 

And Zuko can’t handle it anymore. He gives. 

“Okay.” He says, and pulls Sokka into a kiss. 

.

.

.

. 

  
  


The next time that Sokka walks into The Jasmine Dragon, Zuko smiles at him. “Hi,” he says softly. “What can I get you today, handsome?” 

Sokka grins and leans over the counter to steal a kiss from his boyfriend. “Jasmine, please.” Sokka says, sweet like honey while the blush on Zuko’s cheeks spread down his neck. 

Uncle laughs from the doorway to the kitchen, knowing with a smile on his lips. “You can take your break now if you’d like, nephew.” Zuko’s blush worsened as he punched in the total. “Fine.” He tells his uncle, “and put your wallet away, stupid. A two dollar tea can be free every once in a while.”

“You guys should really up your prices.” Sokka says, watching Zuko brew his tea. Zuko shakes his head, “If the prices go up, not everyone can afford it. We try to give a fair chance at good tea to all customers, including those who face hard times.” He puts a lid on Sokka’s cup and hands it to him before taking his apron off, “Now where are you taking me?” Zuko says cheekily.

Sokka stares at him for a moment in awe, “My fucking backseat, come on!” Zuko bursts out in laughter as Sokka drags him out of the shop. Iroh smiles gently behind a cup of tea, delighted to hear his nephew laugh. He takes a sip from his cup as a thought crosses his mind. 

Zuko’s never had an affinity for tea, but luckily destiny has brought him here. 


End file.
